Neymar boost for Chelsea as starlet hints at Santos exit

26 Jul 2010 11:26:24

London calling: Neymar is wanted by Chelsea
Brazilian wonderkid Neymar has opened the door on a move to Chelsea by refusing to commit his future to Santos.
The gifted 18-year-old insists he is happy at the Sao Paulo-based side, but admits he might not be there by the time the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Just three weeks after saying he wanted to stay at Santos, Neymar admitted on Sunday: 'I don't know what will happen to me. I continue to fulfil my contract at Santos and while I'm here I will be happy.'
Chelsea had a a £17million bid for Neymar rejected, while West Ham were met with the same response when bidding £12m earlier in the summer.
Santos insist they will not do a deal for less than the near-£30m release clause written into the forward's five-year contract, but investors who own 40 per cent of the player's rights are said to be keen to strike a deal.
Neymar confirmed that his father Neymar Silva and Santos president Luis Alvaro de Oliveira Ribeiro held talks at the end of last week, but he said: 'I know they talked, but I was with the team, so I haven't spoken yet to my father.
'We don't talk much on the phone, so I don't know yet what happened in the meeting.'
Although many have questioned whether it is too soon to go to Europe, Neymar is confident he will not be another flop like team-mate Robinho, who is determined to stay on loan at Santos after disappointing at Manchester City.
After helping Santos to a 1-0 win against Sao Paulo in Brazil's Serie A, he said: 'I think nothing much changes whether you play in Europe or here. The ball is round, it's the same.'
Manchester City have first refusal on Neymar, while Barcelona and Real Madrid are also monitoring his availability.
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